There Is Always Paris
by Quill of Minerva
Summary: Albus runs away from his heart to Paris but his heart follows him. Please Read and Review


**There is always Paris**

**_Disclaimer:_** Sadly the characters do not belong to me but to J K Rowling and I am merely using them out for my own enjoyment. No money is being made out from this story.

**_Summary:_** Albus runs away from his heart but she follows him to Paris where she makes him confront his feelings. Oh, I got the idea for this story from a British TV programme called Holy City.

**A/N:** Many thanks to my lovely beta Ang. She has, once again, been fantastic and I dedicate this story to her.

**There Is Always Paris**

Minerva Aurora McGonagall rushed around the small apartment she shared with her best friend Poppy Pomfrey, throwing perfume, her keys and purse into a small handbag.

"What in the name of Merlin are you doing up at this ungodly hour of the morning?" asked Poppy as she came out of her bedroom, wrapping her dressing gown around her waist.

"I'm going to Paris!" announced Minerva as she wrapped her summer cloak over her shoulders.

"You're going?" questioned Poppy with surprise, as she sunk down into the nearby chair.

"Yes, I have to find how he feels Poppy," replied Minerva. "I know he loves me."

"Do you know where he is staying?" asked Poppy.

"Father mentioned something last week so I don't even have to ask." replied Minerva with a smile.

"Do you have any idea what you are going to say or even do when you see him?" questioned Poppy, who wanted to make sure her friend, had thought about this properly.

"Not a clue but I'm sure it will come to me," answered Minerva.

"Just throw yourself at him," Xiomara's voice came from the spare bedroom.

"Where did you come from?" asked Minerva. "I can't throw myself at him."

"Well I would but then you aren't me," replied Xiomara. "Poppy said I could kip down here for a few days. I got kicked out of my place for causing too much noise."

"Why don't you say you have something in your eye and when he takes a look, kiss him," Poppy suggested with a romantic gleam in her pale blue eyes.

"I don't have time to discuss this now so wish me luck." Minerva said rushing out of the door without even a backwards glance.

"LUCK!" shouted Poppy and Xiomara.

Albus Dumbledore stepped out of the muggle taxi and took in a breath of fresh Parisian air before playing the taxi fare. It been some years since he had been to this romantic city and he had not been alone that time. This time he was alone and his heart had been left in Scotland. He quietly made his way into the Grande Hotel and inquired if any messages had been left for him. There hadn't been any and that didn't surprise him either. Only a handful of people knew that he had taken a trip to Paris but even they did not know the reason for such a trip. He had a job interview and he was always trying to forget a certain witch or at least denying his feelings for her.

His turned to make his way towards his rooms when he bumped into the witch from whom he had been trying to escape. She smiled softly at him and looked into his eyes as if she was searching for something.

"What are you doing here?" he inquired as he took her arm and led her away from the crowd that had surrounded the reception desk.

"I assume from the tone in your voice you aren't pleased to see me here," she said as she allowed herself to be gently pulled away from the onlookers.

"This isn't a game Minerva!" said Albus through gritted teeth.

"Don't you think I know that!" she replied as she pulled herself free from his grip. "Aren't you at least a bit happy to see me here?"

Albus sighed loudly and shook his head. For once in his long life he didn't know what to say. There, before him, stood his best friend's youngest daughter. Her emerald green eyes were boring deep within his very soul. He was angry to see her but another part of him was glad. He hated his contradicting feelings and they had caused him to seek another job in the first place.

"Why didn't you tell me about this job?" asked Minerva.

"It's none of your concern!" he answered coldly. "You should not be here Minerva. Now, be a good girl and run along back home."

As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted them. He saw the hurt in her eyes that soon turned into anger. She glared at him and, at that moment, he wished he could enter her mind without permission so he could see what she was truly thinking.

"I am not a little girl Albus and don't you dare treat me like one!" she finally answered, not tearing her eyes from his as she spoke "I may not have as many years as you but I am still a human being and I have feelings and emotions just like you. Though you try to mask them."

"I will not discuss this here," answered Albus as he glanced around their surroundings only to find people looking in their direction. "Let's go somewhere private."

"No, I want to see Paris!" said Minerva sounding rather like a spoiled child.

"If I show you some popular sites, will you promise to go home?" he asked knowing that she wouldn't give him an answer. He had been right of course. She hadn't given him an answer. Instead, she slipped her arm through his and led him out into the bustling streets of Paris.

They walked for sometime in silence, Minerva taking in the romantic sites before her eyes as she watched lovers, both young and old, conversing as they walked by. Albus and Minerva stopped and looked up at the Eiffel Tower and she couldn't help but think that this was the most romantic place in the world.

"Isn't this romantic?" she announced, looking at Albus as she tried to hold his hand.

"Stop it!" he scolded her as if he were talking to a young child.

"Albus I know you love me!" she said courageously. "Why can't you just admit it?"

"This is wrong. You shouldn't even be here Minerva," he answered, walking away from her slightly. "I can't discuss this with you and I won't even try."

A few moments later, they resumed their silent walk until they came across a street vendor. Minerva couldn't resist and she bought a miniature Eiffel Tower and a stick of French rock.

"Oh Albus, you should try this one," she gasped excitedly as she placed a beret on his head.

"Alas it's not my colour," he chuckled before picking up a bright orange beret. "But this one is!"

Minerva wrinkled up her nose in disgust before laughing along with him. She was glad that he was finally loosing up around her. This was the Albus Dumbledore she knew and loved with all her heart. Deep down she knew he loved her, but she silently wondered if their few but passionate kisses meant anything to him as they had to her.

Albus paid for the orange beret and a dark green one for Minerva and the street seller thanked them before going on his way.

"Are you really going to wear that?" she asked with a smile.

"Of course I am," he replied as he placed the hat on his head. "Are you embarrassed to be seen with me now?"

"Not if you hold my hand," she suggested.

"Minerva!" he said in a warning tone and they lapped into a comfortable silence again.

As they walked along the canal, Minerva's thoughts drifted back to what Poppy and Xiomara had said. She couldn't throw herself at him because that wasn't in her nature. She usually believed that it was up to the man to do the chasing. However, here she was in Paris doing all the chasing. She wouldn't actually call it chasing, though, because she knew that he had feelings for her. Unfortunately, he was too scared to confront them. Only she could call the great Albus Dumbledore a coward. Just two years ago, he had rid the wizarding world of their greatest threat, which had proven him to be a brave man. But when it came to the heart, he wasn't as brave.

"Oh," she gasped as she came to a stop. "I have something in my eye!"

"Let me hold your bag." Albus offered.

Minerva sighed. That wasn't the response she had been hoping for.

"Can you have a look for me Albus? I can't see what I'm doing," she tried again.

"I can't see anything," Albus said as he peered into her eye.

This was the perfect moment for her to go in for the kiss and that's what she did. She brushed her soft lips against his and held her breath. Albus, at first, kissed her back but then he pulled away. Taking a step back from her, he shook his head and his eyes looked saddened.

"This is not possible Minerva," he told her. "What would your father say? You have so much to offer someone your own age."

"I love you Albus!" she declared.

"No you don't," he told her. "You don't know the meaning of the word love."

"How can you say that Albus? You can't tell me what to feel and what not to feel," replied Minerva defiantly.

"Let's get back to the hotel and arrange a portkey to take you home," Albus suggested as he stepped down some stone steps that led to an old narrow path.

"This is about Sienna, isn't it?" challenged Minerva.

"Don't bring her into this, Minerva," Albus warned as he looked back up at her.

Minerva knew she didn't have the right to bring up his dead wife but it was the only thing she had left. She knew that Sienna's untimely death still held a lot of power over the man before her but it had been thirty years since her passing. And it wasn't healthy for Albus to live in the past.

"You have put her up on a pedestal Albus," continued Minerva. "She's dead!"

"That's not the only thing she has on you!" snapped Albus.

The full force of his words hit her and she stood, opened mouthed, as she tried to collect her thoughts. She quickly turned on her heels and darted off in the opposite direction and away from Albus.

"MINERVA, come back," he called after her. "I didn't mean that."

His cries to her fell on deaf ears as she weaved in and out of the crowds that filled the narrow streets. She knew he was following her and she tried to lose him in the crowd. Turning sharply, she ran down a deserted road before stopping to sit on the wall to catch her breath. As she looked at her surroundings, she noticed a scruffy looking man heading towards. She didn't like the way he was looking at her so she got to her feet and began to walk away quickly. The faster she walked, though, the faster the man seemed to walk.

Soon, she began to panic. She knew she couldn't use her wand here and without it, she was defenceless. She broke into a run and the man ran in pursuit. He was gaining on her because he knew the routes of the back roads, unlike Minerva. She stumbled on an upturned cobblestone and lost her balance. The man took advantage of her loss of concentration and made a grab for her bag. She was knocked to the ground in the small struggle before she heard Albus calling her name.

"Minerva!" he cried out as he charged towards her, frightening the man away. "Are you okay?"

"Yes I'm fine!" she snapped. "He took my bag with my money and my portkey home."

"You're bleeding. Here, let me see to it," said Albus as he stepped forward and pulled out his handkerchief.

"You can't play the hero now, Albus," she spoke icily. "Just leave me alone."

She took the handkerchief from him and wiped her eye before walking away from him and sitting down. Her blouse was torn and she was shaking slightly. Albus walked over to her and took the handkerchief from her and dabbed it against her eyebrow.

"Come back to the hotel Minerva. You need to clean up a bit and I'll arrange another portkey for you."

"There is no reason for me to be here now anyway," she said sadly as she got to her feet.

Albus didn't answer and she didn't expect him to either. Once again, they walked in silence all the way to the hotel where Albus was staying. He showed her to his rooms so she could shower while he offered to go downstairs and find her an outfit from one of the many boutiques that serviced the hotel.

Minerva didn't care about what she wore. All she knew was that she was going back to her friends, alone, and she knew they would want every single detail. She showered quickly and wrapped a large fluffy yellow towel around her lithe frame and waited for Albus to rejoin her with her outfit. Soon enough, he knocked at the door and called her name. She made her way back into the bathroom but kept the door ajar so they could converse.

"I hope it fits Minerva," he called out to her. "I have never been very good at dress shopping."

"I'm sure it's fine!" she replied.

"I arranged another portkey for you but it's not till the morning," he told her through the crack in the door. "I thought we could get something to eat. Do you want to meet me down in the bar?"

"Sure," was her simple answer?

She heard Albus exit the room five minutes later and she walked back into the bedroom to look at the dress he had laid out for her on the bed. She had to admit the dress was beautiful. Simple yet elegant and from the looks of it, he had bought the correct size. She picked up the green silk knee length dress and put it on. It clung to her womanly frame and made her eyes look even greener than normal and the dress felt lovely against her skin. She sighed to herself as she smoothed the dress down over her curves before heading off to find Albus. If truths were told, she wasn't sure she wanted to see him now, if ever again.

She walked into the crowded bar and her eyes immediately fell upon Albus. He was not a man to be missed with his long auburn hair with streaks of pure white shooting through the thick locks. He stood to greet her. Always the gentleman.

"I'm glad it fits," he said looking at her. "It is certainly beautiful."

"Please don't say things like that," she replied as she sat down on the couch. "Will we still be friends once you return? If you return?"

"Always friends Minerva," he assured her with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes. "Let me show you Paris properly. I'm sorry my heart wasn't in it before."

"Albus please don't make this harder for me," she begged.

"Let me show you the Eiffel Tower at night," he pleaded as he offered her his hand.

Minerva reluctantly got to her feet and quietly obeyed him. They walked out into the warm night and Albus slipped her arm through his. She was distraught inside and him being nice to her wasn't helping. But what could she do? She couldn't run away from him because that would make her just as cowardly as him. And she wasn't a Gryffindor for nothing!

They walked the short distance to the famous tower and stood beneath it. It was lit up and even more romantic at night. To the left of them was a couple, laughing. Suddenly the man dropped to one knee and asked the young woman to marry him. Minerva watched as the woman threw her arms around her lover and accepted his proposal.

"Albus, this is a place for lovers, not friends!" she told him as she pulled back and walked away from the happy couple.

She walked until she found some seating and sat down, her back to the tower and everything it stood for. Albus watched her. It saddened him to see her like this and he knew that he was hurting her, as well as himself. If he continued to deny his heart of love.

Yes, she was twenty-four and he was over hundred. But she wanted him. She loved him and he loved her deeply. He had been hiding behind his dead wife for too many years now and he needed to change his life. He needed to live in the present and not the past.

Maxim, Minerva's father, was his best friend and even he had noticed the attraction but had never mentioned it much, out of respect for Sienna Dumbledore. Albus walked over and joined Minerva on the bench. He sat beside her and reached out for her hand.

"Ask me if I want this?" he asked her.

"What's the point Albus? You have already answered me," Minerva replied, not looking at him.

"Ask me!" he pushed.

"Only you can say what you want," she said turning to face him.

"Then I want this," he said before closing the distance between them and brushing his lips against hers softly before pulling her into his arms as the lights of the Eiffel Tower twinkled brightly behind them.

**_The End!_**


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